1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to braces, such as knee joint braces and fracture braces, for example; and more particularly to a brace that can be adjusted to control the range of bending motion of a joint during the healing process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Knee joint braces are used to provide support for the knee joint during the process of healing from a ligament injury to the knee, for example. Such a brace has an upper bar attached to a cast placed around the patient's thigh and a lower bar attached to a cast placed around the patient's lower leg. The upper and lower bars are joined together to pivot about an axis through the knee joint. Such a knee joint brace provides the desired amount of firm support to prevent sidewise motion of the knee ligaments as they heal. The degree of angular travel of the upper and lower bars can be set to control the angle through which the patient can move his or her knee during the rehabilitation process. In some braces the angle of travel can be adjusted to provide for gradually greater bending motion of the knee joint during the rehabilitation process. That is, as the knee joint heals, it is desirable to gradually increase the range of angular motion, depending upon the degree of injury and the degree of healing.
The prior art has provided a number of braces that can be used to support a knee joint during healing. Some prior art knee braces, which have provided means of adjustment to increase bending motion of the knee during rehabilitation, have suffered from a number of disadvantages. Some of these braces are too complex and, therefore, too expensive to manufacture in a competitive market; or they are too large and cumbersome or not effectively adjustable to all desirable angles.
The present invention provides a brace that overcomes these disadvantages. The brace also has additional advantages described in detail below.
The adjustable brace of this invention is an improvement over the braces disclosed in the following patents:
______________________________________ U. S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 2,410,560 Witte 2,570,382 Ruetting 3,528,412 McDavid 3,785,372 Craig 4,088,130 Applegate ______________________________________
In addition to its use as a knee joint brace with casts on the patient's upper and lower leg, the improvement provided by this invention also is adaptable for use with various fracture braces or other braces for supporting joints where controlled bending is desirable.